Heel plate for ski boots



April 21, 1953 F. MEINGAST HEEL PLATE FOR SKI BOOTS Filed May 16, 1951Fig.2

Fig.4

FRANZ MEmGAST INVENTOR V BY fig, ATTORNEYS,

Patented Apr. 21, 1953 HEEL PLATE FOR SKI BOOTS- Franz Meingast,Gmunden, Austria Application May 16, 1951, Serial No. 226,575 In AustriaMay 23, 1950 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a heel plate for ski boots, which plate mayconsist of a sheet of any suitable material, e. g., aluminum, orplastic, or plastic-impregnated pasteboard (laminated plastic) orsimilar strong though somewhat resilient material, and the shape ofwhich snugly conforms to the heel part of the uppers of the ski boot.

The object of this heel plate is to protect the seams at the heel partfrom damage by the heel strap of the ski binding.

In a perfectly watertight ski boot the seam connecting the uppers andsole must extend all around the boot. The rear portion of this seam,however, is liable to be damaged by the metal heel strap of skibindings, which will abrade the seam when the latter is unprotected.Moreover, when the skier employing the cable type bindings in use todayendeavors to apply the heel strap around the boot not in a horizontal,but in an upwardly inclined arc, to obtain a strong downwardly directedpulling force as is desired particularly during downhill runs, the heelstrap will be liable to pull the sole from the uppers at the heel. Whenthe unprotected heel is thus damaged by the heel strap, the boot isfirst liable to lose its watertightness and finally the sole may comeapart from the uppers.

Specifically it is the object of the invention to provide a heel platewhich may be attached to a finished ski boot having a roundabout seamconnecting the uppers and tthe sole, without need for temporarilydetaching and refastening any part of the boot. Thus the roundabout seamcannot be damaged in any way. It is another object of the invention toprovide a heel plate of that type, which can be mounted on such bootsubsequently by its owner, without the hel of any skilled man.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view from the back.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view.

In order to protect the roundabout seam I connecting the sole and theuppers from being chafed by the heel strap of the ski binding, a plate 2is provided, of a material resisting compression and fiexion while beingslightly resilient. e. g., sheet aluminum, plastic, pasteboardimpregnated with plastic (laminated plastic), or the like. To enable theplate to be fastened, it is provided on top with a lug 4, which isinserted through a transverse slot 5 below the back-stay s of the boot.The lower part i of the plate forms a groove to receive the heel strap.Below the groove 1 the plate is fixed to the heel leather by staples 8.This mode of attachment, however, is not the only one possible but maybe varied with the same advantages, one important feature residing inthe fact that the plate is not sewn to the boot but fastened to the rearpart thereof by other means.

What I claim is:

A heel plate for mounting on finished ski boots, having a backstay and aroundabout seam between sole and uppers, comprising a plate conformingto the heel part of the uppers of the ski boot, and means for fixing theplate to the finished ski boot, consisting of an outwardly extendingflange arranged at the lower end of the plate and means for fasteningsaid flange fixed to the protruding margin of the sole, and an upwardlyprotruding lug arranged at the center of the top edge of the plate andadapted to be stuck into a slot in said backstay of said boot, forholding the top of the heel plate to the boot.

FRANZ MEINGAST.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 95,087 Cordtz Sept. 21, 1869 256,939 Williams Apr. 25, 1882638,879 Packard Dec. 12, 1899 1,575,466 Tyler Mar. 2, 1926 2,116,969Cyr, Jr. May 10, 1938

